Hanukkah 2015
Jesus at the temple Now it was winter, and the Feast of Dedication was taking place at Jerusalem. And Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon’s porch. Then the Jews encircled Him and said to Him, “How long are You going to hold us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” (John 10.22-24) Calendar: Hanukkah 2015 will be celebrated from December 6 through December 14. Click here to find out more about Hanukkah and how it is celebrated. Then get out your menorah and dreidel, light the candles day by day, prepare some latkes, and join in the fun!...
Read MorePoverty in Rochester
Rochester remains fifth poorest city in U.S. An analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday for the most recent five-year period shows that the City of Rochester’s poverty rate continues to rise. Data from the new American Community Survey for the years 2010 through 2014 shows: Rochester’s overall poverty rate increased slightly from 32.9 percent to 33.8 percent. Rochester’s child poverty rate increased markedly, from 50.1 percent to 52.5 percent. The city’s rate of extreme poverty (below half the federal poverty line) grew slightly from 16.2 percent to 16.4 percent. Rochester...
Read MoreA “safe place”?
This is Not a Day Care. It’s a University! Dr. Everett Piper, President, Oklahoma Wesleyan University This past week, I actually had a student come forward after a university chapel service and complain because he felt “victimized” by a sermon on the topic of 1 Corinthians 13. It appears that this young scholar felt offended because a homily on love made him feel bad for not showing love. In his mind, the speaker was wrong for making him, and his peers, feel uncomfortable. I’m not making this up. Our culture has actually taught our kids to be this self-absorbed and narcissistic. Any time...
Read MoreDiversity in action
Emily E. Smith is a fifth-grade social justice and English language arts teacher at Cunningham Elementary School in Austin, Tex. She was just awarded the 2015 Donald H. Graves Excellence in the Teaching of Writing award given at the National Teachers of English Language Arts Convention in Minneapolis. Smith created and founded The Hive Society, a classroom that inspires children to creatively explore literature through critical thinking and socially relevant texts. In her speech accepting the award, Smith talked about a seminal moment in her career when she realized she needed to change her...
Read MoreThe Leaves are Raked!
It’s been a late fall with heavy leaves, acorns, and walnuts on the ground, surrounded by branches and large “twigs” blown down by the wind. Our main parking lot, back yard, courtyard, and side parking lot have been full, but now they’re empty, thanks to good brothers helping! Earlier this week Harry used a leaf blower to clear and bag about 6 large rubbish bags of leaves from the main parking lot, and today a crew from the youth group at Joy Community Church came over and completed the job on both sides of the building, harvesting a huge pile of 30 bags of leaves and...
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